


Oblivious

by AcesOfSpade



Series: Fairy Tail Soulmate AUs [2]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Claiming Bites, Fluff, How Do I Tag, M/M, My first work for this fandom and it's goddamed cliche, Soul Bond
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-01
Updated: 2018-09-07
Packaged: 2019-03-25 15:33:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13837737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AcesOfSpade/pseuds/AcesOfSpade
Summary: Natsu had started to notice something was off between him and Gray when they were about 14. It was just little things at first, like realizing what the other was going to do before he did it, or instantly knowing where he was hurt and how badly without having to look or ask. As they got older, Natsu suspected the insight went both ways, not that Gray would admit to anything of the sort. Natsu suspected that part of the reason they kept fighting the way they did was to outlet their confusion as to what the actual fuck was going on.It wasn’t until Natsu was 17 that he finally realized what had happened. He’d started looking into dragon stuff to help him find Igneel, but he ended up finding the answer he had been looking for since he was 14:A Dragon Slayer bond.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So my brother and I have been binging Fairy Tail for like two weeks now, and I'm h o o k e d. And I have so many feelings about Natsu and Gray's dynamic that I keep wanting to ramble to random people about how fascinating I find it. Instead, I wrote this. My first work for Fairy Tail and Gratsu, and I went full-force cliche because I'm me. I'm just a sucker for any type of soulmate/soul-bond situation. Oops.

Natsu had started to notice something was off between him and Gray when they were about 14. It was just little things at first, like realizing what the other was going to do before he did it, or instantly knowing where he was hurt and how badly without having to look or ask. As they got older, Natsu suspected the insight went both ways, not that Gray would admit to anything of the sort. Natsu suspected that part of the reason they kept fighting the way they did was to outlet their confusion as to what the actual fuck was going on.

 

It wasn’t until Natsu was 17 that he finally realized what had happened. He’d started looking into dragon stuff to help him find Igneel, but he ended up finding the answer he had been looking for since he was 14:

 

A Dragon Slayer bond.

 

Dragon Slayer bonds were said to develop around the time the Slayer hit puberty, sometimes later in some situations. The bond forms between a Slayer and their most compatible partner, whether they had met yet or not. Natsu wasn’t much interested in the ‘destiny’ and ‘fate’ talk; the explanation of the bond’s base was what caught his eye.

 

‘ _A Dragon Slayer’s bonded is the person they will be able to sync with perfectly. The bond links the very souls of theose involved, essentially creating one soul split between two_ _bodies. When the bond is fully established, the Slayer and their bonded share one mind, able to communicate without words even when anti-telepathy magic is in place._ _Pain is shared between the bonded pair, though injuries themselves are not. If a bonded pair were to fight, neither could win. Bonded pairs are evenly matched on every level, two sides of the same coin._ _Bonded pairs often develop little habits the other has shown in the past, such as tapping fingers or feet._ _Dragon Slayers become very possessive of their bonded, instinctively_ _defending their bonded from potential threats’_

 

The more Natsu read, the drier his mouth became. He ran a hand through his hair nervously, trying to swallow in order to regain moisture in his throat. He failed. He vaguely recalled Igneel mentioning something like this, back before he disappeared. He hadn’t believed it at the time, but now he couldn’t deny the existance. How the fuck was he going to explain this to Gray? The two could barely be considered friends to most people, so how would they adjust to being a bonded pair?

 

When the shopkeeper at the bookstore called for closing, Natsu took the book to the counter so he could buy it and bring it home. 200 jewel didn’t seem like a bad price for such an important book (at least to him), even if it was the rest of his pocket money until he could get another job.

 

Over the next month, Natsu spent a lot of his free time pouring over the book, learning as much as he could about Slayer bonds. Without realizing it, he had been putting distance between himself and Gray. He did realize that there was an odd feeling in his chest, as if something was missing.

 

Finally, he thought he was ready to approach Gray and explain what was happening. He knew Gray was feeling the effects of the bond, he’d brought it up idly a few times in the past. His hands were trembling at his sides as he asked Gray to go for a walk to the park with him, making Gray frown. Not only was Natsu _visibly_ nervous, Gray could _feel_ how nervous the Slayer was, as if he were the nervous one. He had slowly adjusted to the weird feelings he got from Natsu that started when they were 14, but he was still confused by them.

 

The walk to the park was silent, save Natsu’s voice repeatedly muttering ‘you can do this’. Gray glanced over at him to make sure he was alright, blinking in surprise when he realized Natsu’s mouth wasn’t moving, yet he could still hear his voice. That… was new.

 

Neither said anything until they were sitting under the tree in the centre of the park, Natsu seemingly calmed down enough that he didn’t look nervous. Gray could still feel his nerves rolling off him in waves though. It brought the tiniest frown to his face as he waited for Natsu to say something.

 

It was a moment before he did, though he wouldn’t look up at Gray, only down at his hands in his lap. “I know you’ve noticed by now,” he muttered, hands wringing in his lap. “I know I have.”

 

Gray nodded in confirmation. Natsu was being vague, but he knew what he was talking about: their inexplicable connection that neither wanted to bring up.

 

“Well, I finally figured out what it is,” Natsu went on, one hand moving from his lap to grab a thick leather tome from the bag Gray hadn’t noticed he was carrying. He opened the tome to a page marked with a silver ribbon, handing the book wordlessly to Gray so he could read it. He didn’t think he could say any of this out loud right now, he was too nervous.

 

Gray was silent as he read, brows creasing in either concern or anger, Natsu couldn’t tell visibly. He knew it was confusion though, could _feel_ the confusion. Natsu didn’t know if that was better than anger though, because this was Gray. He could test the bond and read what he was thinking, but he didn’t want to invade Gray’s privacy without asking first.

 

Natsu didn’t dare break the silence, nor would he admit to holding his breath until Gray showed some sort of response, however negative. When Gray finally did respond, it started with his gaze moving from the book to Natsu’s, the widest the Slayer had ever seen them (which still wasn’t very wide).

 

“You’re sure?” he asked, sounded… hesitant, but not upset.

 

“Not entirely, but I’ve got a strong feeling about it,” Natsu nodded quietly, not drawing his gaze away from where Gray had caught it. “There’s a thing in the book, a sort of ritual that can be done to guarantee the existance and actually finish the process,” he commented.

 

“At the same time?” Gray asked uncertainly. He was having an internal conflict, trying to figure out where he stood on the matter. On one hand, he was sort of uncomfortable with the idea of Natsu always being in his head, and that neither of them really wanted this to begin with. The other hand seemed to forget Natsu knew what he was thinking, because it was pointing out the benefits of completing the bond that went beyond tactical advantages. That other hand decided to point out that Gray had been pining after Natsu for _years_ , reminding Gray that the bond supposedly formed between the _most compatible partner_ for the Dragon Slayer in question.

 

Since Gray was lost in thought, he forgot that his thoughts weren’t entirely private. At least until he heard Natsu _squeak_ , and saw his hand move to cover his mouth from the corner of his eye. His cheeks flared bright red at the awkward realization, his gaze fixing solidly on his lap.

 

“Sorry, you probably heard that didn’t you?” Gray muttered, still not looking up. “This situation is awkward enough as-is, and I probably made it worse. I understand if you want to go back to ignoring this whole thing...” he trailed off, falling silent.

 

Natsu was silent as well, a rare sight to behold, hand falling from his mouth into his lap. With his head hanging, Gray didn’t see the emotions that danced across the Slayer’s face in mere seconds. Even if they had, they’d have been hard to decipher. Either way, Gray didn’t look up until Natsu hesitantly reached out to grab one of his hands out of his lap. Gray wordlessly looked up at him, a confused look on his face.

 

At first, Natsu didn’t say anything. He seemed to be concentrating on something, if his scrunched up eyes and determined frown were anything to go by. Gray didn’t have to wonder long what he was doing, because he soon heard Natsu’s voice echoing in his head, like a recording of past thoughts almost. The thoughts echoed the ones Gray had accidentally shared, with a bit of a sexuality crisis thrown in for good measure.

 

Gray’s eyes widened once the thoughts dissolved, staring at Natsu in surprise. Neither spoke for a moment, taking the time to really process what had been shared.

 

“I’m done ignoring this,” Natsu mumbled softly, charcoal-black eyes open once more and fixed on Gray with a determined expression. “Not just the bond, all of it,” he added hesitantly.

 

Gray nodded slowly, still very aware that Natsu hadn’t let go of his hand yet. “So how do we do this?” he asked. “Finish it, like you said.”

 

That made Natsu’s shoulders fall in relief and a tiny smile to appear on his face as he used his free hand to grab the book. “There’s a lot of words we both have to say,” he read off, showing the incantation to Gray. “And I kinda have to bite your neck,” he eventually added while Gray was reading. “Not the side or anything, like a vampire. It-it’s a dragon thing. Lets other Dragon Slayers know you’re mine, so they won’t try anything stupid.”

 

Gray looked up from the book with a startled look on his face. He hadn’t made it to the biting part yet, having just finished reading the incantation.

 

Noticing the look on Gray’s face, Natsu shook his head quickly. “It shouldn’t hurt too much. Like a bee sting or something.”

 

That seemed to reassure Gray somewhat, as he looked less startled. “If it actually hurts, I’m kicking your ass,” he muttered teasingly, earning a small laugh from Natsu. “Ready then?” he asked after a few more moments, though he already knew the answer. Natsu nodded silently, moving the book from Gray’s lap so they could both read from it.

 

The ritual was surprisingly short, and thankfully Gray didn’t have to kick Natsu’s ass for biting him too hard. Once it was done, the two had shifted closer to each other, leaving little room between them. Gray’s hand was resting on top of Natsu’s while the two sat in silence for some time, processing what they’d just done.

 

After a while, Gray turned his head towards Natsu, confidence replacing any trace of hesitation that appeared on his face before. Noticing the shift out of the corner of his eye, Natsu turned to face Gray as well to ask what he wanted, only to be cut off before he could even start when Gray kissed him. It was somehow both confident and unsure at once, though the uncertainty seemed to melt away when Natsu returned the kiss.

 

Neither knew how long it lasted, or who eventually pulled away, but that didn’t really matter. What mattered was that _holy fuck that just happened_ , and that it was an entirely mutual thing. Foreheads pressed together, they both wore dopey smiles, sitting there for another while longer before they realized it was getting late and they should probably sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Over time, Natsu and Gray grow more and more amused at how absolutely oblivious their guildmates are.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shitballs I finally finished part two. It's a goddamned miracle.

The months following what Natsu liked to call ‘the Beginning’ were relatively dull, even by Fairy Tail standards. No one was trying to do anything ridiculously stupid like destroy the guildhall or resurrect a dead demon. No, things were peaceful. There even seemed to be a decrease in Natsu/Gray brawls, which almost every member of the guild noticed. It was also hard not to notice that Natsu had slowly developed the habit of losing his shirt without realizing, a trait more commonly associated with Gray, or that Gray had started drumming his fingers on table edges the exact same way Natsu did when he was bored. The other members of Fairy Tail would occasionally trade theories as to why all of this was happening, though no one was entirely sure.

 

As a Dragon Slayer herself, it was only natural Wendy was the first to know the truth. She nearly squealed in delight when she saw the two the day after, though she was sworn to secrecy. Not out of shame or anything though; Natsu and Gray wanted to see how long they could go before someone figured out what was going on.

 

Gajeel and Laxus were on a job when Wendy was filled in, but the minute they stepped into the guildhall after returning, they converged on the ice mage and fire Dragon. Natsu convinced them not to say anything, in exchange for Natsu not mentioning Laxus’ own recent bond.

 

It took a few months before anyone had a vague idea what was going on. Some theories included an Ancient spell had done something to the two young mages to cause this (which actually wasn’t entirely wrong), while some suggested it was all for show and the two were having some fun at their expense.

 

The first non-Dragon Slayer to find out was Loke, of all people. It had been a complete accident, the fact that he wandered out behind the guild while the two were lying on a blanket under the stars (so cliché), exchanging feather-light kisses and soft chuckles thinking no one was there initially. When Natsu finally heard the sound of someone else breathing, he reluctantly stood up from his spot next to Gray, scanning the small area to find the source of the breathing. Loke promised to keep their secret as long as they wanted him to, as an apology for keeping his secret from everyone for so long.

 

The rest of the guild was slow to clue in, mostly having begun ignoring the two elemental mages and their seemingly one-sided conversations with each other, though it was hard to ignore the fact that Fairy Tail now had two resident strippers on its hands. In fact, the rest of the guild was so clueless that they only understood after watching the two after a rough job they’d been on, over a year later. They were sitting at a table near the wall, staring intently at each other.

 

“No,” Gray said suddenly, shaking his head. “You’re seriously considering that as a reasonable option right now?”

 

“Ah c’mon, Icicle!” Natsu shot back, attempting to tease but Gray could tell he was uncertain and nervous. “It’s not like anyone would get _hurt_ ,” he reasoned.

 

“Natsu, your back says otherwise,” Gray pointed out in concern. “I don’t need you getting yourself hurt, or even killed, because you want to do that.” The gentle yet worried voice Gray was using was a surprise to the guild members that weren’t Dragon Slayers or Loke. He usually gave Natsu scathing remarks and criticism, but right then he sounded as if he was begging Natsu not to do whatever they were talking about.

 

“I’ll be fine, Gray,” Natsu tried to say confidently, a hand reaching across the table to take one of Gray’s. “You could come with me, if that would make you feel better,” he offered softly, another tone that caught the guild off guard. “It’s just something I have to to at this point. I’ve put it off this long, and I don’t really want to keep putting it off forever.”

 

“Fine,” Gray conceded with a sigh, not pulling his hand away like everyone expected him to. “I need you to-,” he began, only to be cut off by Natsu.

 

“I promise I won’t fight anyone I don’t have to,” Natsu nodded firmly, not giving Gray time to finish the question on his mind before answering. “Though I can’t promise I won’t be jealous,” he added with a playful smirk, earning an eye-roll from Gray.

 

“I’ll take it,” Gray said with a pretend dramatic sigh, shaking his head. “And before you even say it, I’ll do my best to keep my pants on. The shirt, I can’t make any promises on, but I’ll try not to lose my pants.”

 

“Dumbass,” Natsu teased fondly, leaning over the table to kiss Gray’s cheek. Sure, they could’ve had this conversation telepathically, but sometimes actually saying the words made them feel more important.

 

“So are you,” Gray retorted just as fondly.

 

“Yeah, but I’m _your_ dumbass,” Natsu reminded him with a cheeky grin.

 

“That also makes _me_ your dumbass,” Gray reminded him. “Now, let’s head home. You need sleep, and I need a nice bath to get this blood off of me.”

 

Neither had noticed how silent the guildhall had gotten by the time they got up to leave, noise only returning once the doors closed behind them. Gajeel and Laxus were sitting at the bar laughing their asses off at the shocked murmurs echoing through the guildhall, which earned them a confused glance from Mirajane and an amused one from the green-haired rune mage sitting next to Laxus. Freed had been filled in eventually, considering Laxus was physically unable to keep things secret from him at that point.


End file.
